No more than 10 people in Alameda County are being tested for a viral illness that has killed at least two dozen people and sickened hundreds of others around the globe, according to a county health official. At this time, there are no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the county.
Neetu Balram, a spokesperson at the Alameda County Public Health Department, said the people being tested are "persons under investigation" who have met a certain criterion. That criteria includes having a high fever or lower respiratory symptoms after traveling to Wuhan, China, within the previous 14 days, or coming into contact with someone who has the virus.
“We started receiving reports of potential cases and we have investigated those and if there have been a situation where they meet criteria for exposure and symptoms we have some of those for testing,” said Alameda County Public Health Director Erica Pan.
Officials have not released a specific number of people tested but they are known to have either traveled to Wuhan, China or come in contact with someone who did.
Emergency rooms, like Washington Hospital in Fremont, are on alert and are prepared to screen all patients.
“Whether they have respiratory symptom or not. We always ask have you traveled travel to these parts of the world, we mask them right away,” said medical director Kadeer Halimi.
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For more information from the Alameda County Public Health Department, click here.
Further information was not immediately available.
